Blizzard also released a visual preview of Tier 15 and Season 13 armor sets with gorgeous screenshots. If you're curious to see what difficulty each color armor is found in, or want to see a tier's set bonus, check out our own Tier 15 armor and Season 13 gear previews as well. There are color variations for LFR, Normal, and Heroic PvE sets, and Alliance, Horde, and Elite PvP sets.

Sword of Light: Increases the damage you deal with two-handed melee weapons by 10%15%. Your spell power is now equal to 50% of your attack power, and you no longer benefit from other sources of spell power. Grants 6% of your maximum mana every 2 sec. Increases the healing done by Word of Glory by 30% and Flash of Light by 100%.

Grimoire of Sacrifice: You sacrifice your demon to gain one of its abilities, increase the power of many of your single target spells by $?c035]30] and regenerate 2% of maximum health every 5 sec. Lasts for 1 hour. Summoning another demon cancels the effect.

Execute: Attempt to finish off a wounded foe, causing 60766886 physical damage. Only usable on enemies that have less than 20% health.

NPC Abilities

This section has not been analyzed extensively by our team but is included for people interested in seeing what has changed in these areas.View changes

Arcane Blast: Blasts the target with energy, dealing 726 to 843 (+ 75.7%749 to 869 (+ 77.7% of SpellPower) Arcane damage. Generates an Arcane Charge. Arcane Blast's damage is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge, and its mana cost is increased by 150% per Arcane Charge.

Immolate: Burns all enemies within 10 yards of the target for 475 (+ 44.5%456 (+ 42.7% of SpellPower) Fire damage and then an additional 2375 (+ 44.5%2280 (+ 42.7% of SpellPower) Fire damage over 15 sec.

Uncategorized

This section has not been analyzed extensively by our team but is included for people interested in seeing what has changed in these areas.View changes

Acid Rain: Spits a globule of acid at a random enemy, inflicting 165000215000 Nature damage to all players upon impact. The damage of Acid Rain is reduced the further enemies are from the point of impact.

Acid Rain: Spits a globule of acid at a random enemy, inflicting 165000215000 Nature damage to all players upon impact. The damage of Acid Rain is reduced the further enemies are from the point of impact.

Arcane Missiles: Launches five waves of Arcane Missiles at the enemy over 2 sec, causing 227 (+ 21.8%231 (+ 22.2% of SpellPower) Arcane damage per wave. Generates an Arcane Charge. Arcane Missiles' damage is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge. Arcane Missiles has a chance to be activated after each of your damaging spell casts. Limit 2 charges.

Arcane Missiles: Launches five waves of Arcane Missiles at the enemy over 2 sec, causing 227 (+ 21.8%231 (+ 22.2% of SpellPower) Arcane damage per wave. Generates an Arcane Charge. Arcane Missiles' damage is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge. Arcane Missiles has a chance to be activated after each of your damaging spell casts. Limit 2 charges.

Elemental Blood of Megaera: The elemental blood of Megaera increases damage done by all Flaming Heads by 5%10%. This effect stacks.

Elemental Blood of Megaera: The elemental blood of Megaera increases damage done by all Frozen Heads by 5%10%. This effect stacks.

Elemental Blood of Megaera: The elemental blood of Megaera increases damage done by all Venomous Heads by 5%10%. This effect stacks.

Elemental Blood of Megaera: The elemental blood of Megaera increases damage done by all Arcane Heads by 15%20%. This effect stacks.

Explosive Slam: The golem slams the ground, inflicting 121875 to 12812597500 to 102500 Fire damage to enemies within 9 yds. of his target. Enemies struck are seared, increasing the damage of subsequent Explosive Slams for 25 sec.

Fan of Flames: Slices rapidly at her target with a burning fan, inflicting weapon damage as Fire and increasing the amount of Fire damage taken by 25%.

Sand Bolt: Hurls a bolt of sand at an enemy, inflicting 8250090750 Nature damage to them and all enemies within 5 yards.

Sand Bolt: Hurls a bolt of sand at an enemy, inflicting 8250090750 Nature damage to them and all enemies within 5 yards.

Sand Trap: A Sand Trap deals 185000 to 21500046250 to 53750 Nature damage to nearby enemies and grows over time.

Sandstorm: Summons a deadly sandstorm that inflicts 1925022000 Nature damage to all players every second for 8 sec.

Sandstorm: Summons a deadly sandstorm that inflicts 1925022000 Nature damage to all players every second for 8 sec.

Siphon Anima: The Dark Animus drains Anima from its minions. 1 Anima is drained from each golem.

Torment: Inflicts 55500 to 6450037000 to 43000 Shadow damage to all enemies within 50 yards and reduces healing taken by 2%.

Torrent of Ice: Channels a beam of ice at at an enemy, inflicting 2337533000 Frost damage at the point of contact every 0.5 sec. for 8 sec. The beam freezes the ground in its wake, inflicting 37400 Frost damage and slowing movement speed every second to all enemies who touch it.

Torrent of Ice: Channels a beam of ice at at an enemy, inflicting 2337533000 Frost damage at the point of contact every 0.5 sec. for 8 sec. The beam freezes the ground in its wake, inflicting 37400 Frost damage and slowing movement speed every second to all enemies who touch it.

Wrath of the Loa: Smites an enemy with the wrath of the loa, inflicting 6875076000 Holy damage.

Wrath of the Loa: Blasts an enemy with the wrath of the loa, inflicting 8250091000 Shadow damage.

Tier 15 Armor Set Preview

Crithto

The beating drums of war are growing louder, and both the Alliance and Horde are gathering along the shores of the Isle of Thunder. It’s time to face the risen king and his growing army. Before you strike out against the terrors of the island, though, take a peek at the tier 15 armor sets that can be found inside the Throne of Thunder.

Death Knight - All-Consuming Maw

Druid - Haunted Forest

Hunter - Saurok Stalker

Mage - Chromatic Hydra

Monk - Fire-Charm

Paladin - Lightning Emperor

Priest - Exorcist

Rogue - Nine-Tail

Shaman - Witch Doctor

Warlock - Thousandfold Hells

Warrior - Last Mogu

Season 13 Armor Set Preview

Blizzard

PvP Season 12 will soon be coming to an end. Each new season brings new opportunities to prove your resolve in glorious combat, and with success comes powerful new rewards.

Here’s a look at the Tyrannical armor sets that the most accomplished PvP competitors can earn in Season 13.

Comments

Comment by gilvinpowa

on 2013/02/28 09:56:57

Bears need fixing (aka remove the SD stacks, or at the very least add 2 more stacks to the SD stack pool, to bring the total stacks up to five. this would let bears tank longer without having devastating gaps in there SD coverage against physical damage bosses.

Blizzards fix is instead to buff mastery and armor for bears. while this is a fix, in a way, it still means our active mitigation is the only active mitigation artificially capped, and means, armor or no, bears are prone to HEAVY HITS on single tank fights... meaning we get replaced, or delegated to "off tank" status... which blizzard appears to WANT us to do, considering the Tooth and claw ability.

Could not agree more. Tanked side by side with a warrior equally geared and I took at least 20% more dmg and not to mention our self healing isn't very good either considering we get hit or we don't. I miss our mastery from cata.

Comment by Iceveiled

on 2013/02/28 10:34:56

Loving the PvE sets...those PvP sets are hideous.

Comment by wargh0st

on 2013/03/01 08:02:58

Worst hunter set, really an earring?

Comment by jakob9812

on 2013/03/02 08:59:15

Why does every DK set look horrible?

Comment by shadeofjames

on 2013/03/02 12:22:13

Once again instead of fixing warlocks they are playing musical stats. Dear blizz please make destro viable tyvm.

Comment by Problimatic

on 2013/03/02 12:49:56

coming from someone who played a Bear up to 5.2's release (at which point im changing to my monk, because blizzards implementation of "active mitigation" for bear druids is dismal at best) i have to say the current druid tier is/was amazing. my druid (soon to be alt) will never need another transmog set again because BEAR ARMOR.

(anything i say in this comment isn't intended as starting a conspiracy or accusing anyone of anything, its just my personal opinion.

The Guardian ability "Savage Defense" is currently artificially capped at being able to be maintained for no longer than 45 seconds. its capped by the stacks. each stack lasts 6 seconds and takes 9 to recharge, and they recharge one at a time instead of each recharging on its own timer.

This makes guardian druids a bad choice for single tank fights, or fights where you are on the boss for a period of time longer than 45 seconds. Try Garagal heroic with a bear tank.

Bears need fixing (aka remove the SD stacks, or at the very least add 2 more stacks to the SD stack pool, to bring the total stacks up to five. this would let bears tank longer without having devastating gaps in there SD coverage against physical damage bosses.

Blizzards fix is instead to buff mastery and armor for bears. while this is a fix, in a way, it still means our active mitigation is the only active mitigation artificially capped, and means, armor or no, bears are prone to HEAVY HITS on single tank fights... meaning we get replaced, or delegated to "off tank" status... which blizzard appears to WANT us to do, considering the Tooth and claw ability.

And as for Transmogs..... Rogues and Monks are kind of hosed. if our BiS is a fist weapon again, we get ZERO transmog options, AND we cant even display our weapons anywhere because fist weapons vanish when not "unsheathed" (in other words 99% of the time on a monk). this is quite boring.)

I don't think you quite understand things. Bears should never be able to have 100% uptime on savage defense. That would be overpowered as all hell. Without anything other than savage defense up I have more than 73% avoidance. Keep in mind that you also have other cooldowns, barkskin, survival instincts, might of ursoc, on use trinkets, symbiosis (Preferably on monk or dk). I've yet to actually experience a fight where being a bear is a detriment to the group. Granted Im only 6/16H right now due to my guild having internal issues this tier, but still.

You bring up Garajal heroic. This fight is a cakewalk as a druid. If you think druids have it bad, see death knights. This is probably the worst fight to be a death knight tank, because even though you absorb damage with blood shield, the damage is still dealt via voodoo dolls. If you are dying as a tank on heroic garajal, either your healers aren't paying attention or you don't know what the hell you are doing. My current raid leader is a monk tank, we first tried doing heroic windlord with him tanking it, and he simply was taking too much damage. Meanwhile I walk in there, put savage defense on at all parts where there are 6 adds up and attacking, and tank damage is no longer an issue. I realize bears aren't "Super OP fotm tanks" or anything, but they certainly aren't in any sort of position where they are unplayable.

(Also if you want cool fist weapons, try making a set around: these. They are personally my favorite fist weapons in the game, though there are also some other cool ones. While I would like the option of transmogging fists into other things, there are still cool fist weapons.

Comment by Kazlehoff

on 2013/03/12 11:40:19

I don't think you quite understand things. Bears should never be able to have 100% uptime on savage defense. That would be overpowered as all hell. Without anything other than savage defense up I have more than 73% avoidance. Keep in mind that you also have other cooldowns, barkskin, survival instincts, might of ursoc, on use trinkets, symbiosis (Preferably on monk or dk). I've yet to actually experience a fight where being a bear is a detriment to the group. Granted Im only 6/16H right now due to my guild having internal issues this tier, but still.

My guilds other tank is a DK. My bear was equally geared with the DK. i was reforging Hit/Exp(soft)>crit>haste>mastery for rage/threat generation. my monk was about 10 iLvl behind the DK. My bear takes more damage than the DK. my monk, lower geared, takes significantly less (same reforge priority)

You bring up Garajal heroic. This fight is a cakewalk as a druid. If you think druids have it bad, see death knights. This is probably the worst fight to be a death knight tank, because even though you absorb damage with blood shield, the damage is still dealt via voodoo dolls. If you are dying as a tank on heroic garajal, either your healers aren't paying attention or you don't know what the hell you are doing.

My experience was that the raid took less damage with the DK tanking, to the point that we made making the DK the first person tanking in the soft enrage a priority by having her pull the boss.

My current raid leader is a monk tank, we first tried doing heroic windlord with him tanking it, and he simply was taking too much damage. Meanwhile I walk in there, put savage defense on at all parts where there are 6 adds up and attacking, and tank damage is no longer an issue.

we didn't get to heroic wind lord (4/16H) but on normal mode wind lord, and on empress, my healers were saying having me tank made fights where i could pump mass AOE dps significantly easier due to the guards put up by the ox statue.

I realize bears aren't "Super OP fotm tanks" or anything, but they certainly aren't in any sort of position where they are unplayable.

Agree. there playable. but compared to the other tanks, imo, there not in a great place, and i still dislike artificially capped SD. since switching to my monk i am much more of an asset in raids.

(Also if you want cool fist weapons, try making a set around: these. They are personally my favorite fist weapons in the game, though there are also some other cool ones. While I would like the option of transmogging fists into other things, there are still cool fist weapons.

Doesn't help monks. we don't attack with our weapons. fists don't sheathe on the hip or back. like daggers, they simply vanish when not in use. so we don't display any weapon at all. and, its looking like the fist weapons are the BiS AGAIN. sigh.